The developments of mathematics curriculum in advanced countries have

eventually made impacts in the development of mathematics curriculum in

Malaysia especially in terms of contents and teaching method such as Nuffield
Mathematics Project (NMP), Scottish Mathematics Group (SMG), and School
Mathematics Project (SMP) from Britain, and School Mathematics Study Group
(SMSG) from U.S.A.

Nuffield Mathematics Project was launched in the year 1964 for primary
school in Britain and financed by the Nuffield Foundation and support by British
Education Ministry. The main aim of this project was to introduce a new approach
as well as new method in teaching and learning of mathematics for primary
student. This project based on Piaget learning theory which emphasized the
importance of learning mathematics through concrete experience and according
to the pupils level of cognitive development between the age of 6 and 12 years
old. The philosophy of NMP can be explained with the following expressions:

I listen, I forget;
I see, I remember;
I do, I understand.

In NMP, the contents of this Primary School Mathematics Syllabus was

then rearranged to follow the principle such as from simple to complex, from
concrete to abstract and from nearby-experiences to distance-experiences.
Under Dr.Geoffrey Mathews, a team of mathematics writer was published a lot of
teachers’ guide books and teaching modules for teachers. Besides, Work sheets
and various learning instruments also were produced for pupils to use during
group activities. NMP is a project that received a good response and successfully
in achieving its objectives. NMP had become important source for others
countries like Malaysia. For example, Special Project launched in Malaysia in
1970, to a large extent, adopted most of the ideas from NMP.
 I am responsible to concerns of the students’ performance to face the
global issues. Nowadays, roles of the teachers not only to expose the student
with the contents of knowledge but the teacher should prepare the student to
face the global challenge. The teachers should expose the latest technology as
LCD, computer, OHP and others to the student in learning process. These
exposes will prepare the student with global challenge therefore they will catch
up with fast changing in our world. For me, NMP is the greatest projects that
influence our mathematics curriculum. Under NMP, I am realize that primary
student should be taught with concrete object because their imagination still
weak and needed a lot of complex logical reasoning in order to understand about
abstract object. I also should create worksheets to make my learning process
more fun and interesting. I also should learn or take advice about teaching skills
from experience or excellent teachers. So, I will improve my teaching skills.

Scottish Mathematics Group consisted of a group of mathematics writers

who successfully produced a series of nine volumes text books with title as
Modern mathematics for School. The contents of this Scottish Mathematics
Syllabus contained one-third of the topics in modern mathematics such as set,
number system, number base, modular mathematics, transformation,
inequalities, linear programming and matrix. All the topics in this syllabus are
related with our daily problem. The exposure about these topics will encourage
the student to apply the mathematics skills to solve daily problem through to use
of linear programming, matrix and calculating method. The materials of SMG
became important source in the modern Mathematics project for lower secondary
schools.

The syllabus in SMG was the application of mathematics skills to solve

daily problem. As a teacher, I must encourage the student to explore the syllabus
and relate it with their daily life. The student also should realize about their
responsible as a leader or generation in future to become a balance individual.
So, they should struggle to acquire mastery and transfer the knowledge for
country’s development. In my opinion, the syllabus in mathematics curriculum
needs to review or recheck by Ministry of Education. Nowadays, our country
becomes an advanced country and mathematics is an important subject for
advanced country. So, the ministry of education must create the suitable topics in
mathematics curriculum based on SMG and upgrade the contents. This syllabus
in new curriculum must contain the application question, adding the contents and
relate the content to the daily life. Besides that, the new textbooks must have a
graphic note and show the references source such as web sites address.

School Mathematics Project (SMP) also provided another sources of

references to the development of mathematics syllabus in Malaysia. Under the
KLSM programme, the Modern Mathematics syllabus for form 4 and form 5 was
based on the contents from SMP. The series for Modern Mathematics for
Malaysia Form 4 and Form 5 were modified most of the material contained in
SMP. The aim of this project was to prepare a more progressive mathematics
syllabus for secondary schools in Britain. This project produced SMP materials to
be used as teaching aids for modern Mathematics in secondary school, various
types of teaching aids and work sheets to be used in teaching and learning
activities.

The contents of syllabus under SMP were different from that of the
elementary mathematics syllabus and the contents included set, number system,
structural algebra, transformation, inequalities, linear programming, statistics,
vector, matrix and probability. The text books published by the SMP received
good response and were used extensively in secondary school in England.
However, the contents in SMP text books were too academic and abstract. It
needed a lot of complex logical reasoning in order to understand this concept.
 For me, although this project achieved the aim of improving the standard
of mathematics but it’s not suitable for students who are weak in mathematics.
This syllabus will make a gape between the excellent student and weak student.
So, I suggest that the syllabus must have the activities or methods to make the
students who are weak in mathematics are easy to understand about the topics
that contained in syllabus such as study group, use a ICT, show the notes in
graphic organizer and others. This method will improve the student’s
understanding and closed the gape between excellent and weak student. Beside
that, the student also should be taken the initiatives to make a study group with
their friends to discuss about knowledge. The excellent student will share and
help the weak student from this activity. So, the weak student will understand
about the certain topics that they cannot understand before. The student also can
ask their teacher to guide their study group.

School Mathematics Study Group is set up in the year 1958 in U.S.A and
was initiated in Stamford University under the leadership of Professor Begel E.G.
The objectives of setting up SMSG were:

i. to evaluate the existing mathematics syllabus in primary

schools.
ii. to prepare a new mathematics syllabus and learning
materials for teachers and pupils.
iii. to improve the standard of mathematics so as to compete
with other advanced countries.
 This project carried out research to study the existing mathematics
material and later, based on the research finding to prepare a more suitable new
mathematics syllabus and produced a series of mathematics textbooks to be
used in the American primary school. The characteristics of SMSG Project were:

I. the contents of SMSG syllabus were not only widened, but in

fact, the level difficulty were also raised.
II. Some content in the mathematics syllabus such as geometry,
set theory, negative numbers, base numbers, trigonometry
and others were present in a more interesting and meaningful
manner.
III. The SMSG textbooks contained explanatory concept in every
learning unit, and former acquired knowledge and skills were
related with effective teaching approach.
IV. SMSG textbooks were written in the form of activity books
whereby students could learn mathematics through
mathematical activities such as recording data or carrying out
project work.
V. SMSG project emphasized the mastering of concepts and
mathematics skills with the use of exact mathematical
language.

Although SMSG syllabus was too academic and not suitable for students
who were weak in mathematics, it could not be denied that this project was
successful effort to raise the standard of mathematics in school. This project has
eventually made impacts in the development of our curriculum such as KBSR
level 1 mathematics textbooks presented in the form of activity books was the
idea derived out of the research finding from the SMSG Project.
 For the conclusion, the NMP, SMG, SMP and SMSG have eventually
made a big impact in the development of our curriculum. For me, this research or
project had realized me that I am responsible to use the best method for learning
and teaching process. The best methods that I choose will make my learning
process are more interesting and the student will understand the content that I
teach them. Beside that, I will sacrifice my time or money to attend the
programme for change or create a new curriculum. For overcome the fast
changing national curriculum, I am prepare myself with the contents of
knowledge, teaching skills, emotional quotient and others. Beside that, I also
ready to use the latest technology method such as LCD, computer and others in
my teaching and learning activities. Finally, our curriculum is the best of the
others curriculum in the world because our curriculum were created and modified
from the greatest research. The Ministry of Education must always review the
curriculum to make sure our curriculum in a right way.